Please know that professional newborn photographers, such as Baby As Art and Kelly Ryden Photography, always have newborn safety as their ultimate priority.  These photographers have many, many years of experience, work as a team and they have the art of posing newborns and editing in Photoshop mastered.

Jodie Otte recently wrote this great article on newborn safety, along with sharing some behind-the-scenes photographs, showing how this baby on a guitar is actually a composite of a couple different images.  Never was this baby balanced on this guitar alone, without the assistance of someone else.  Please refer to Jodie’s article in it’s entirety, for additional newborn safety information and behind-the-scenes images.

This article by Shoot Baby shares additional [frequently attempted] newborn poses, along with how the photographs were achieved, by combining multiple images in Photoshop.

Parents — if you don’t feel it’s safe, you don’t think it’s right, it doesn’t make sense or you’re simply not comfortable with something during a photo session, please stop the photographer immediately.  Always remember that you have commissioned the photographer; he or she is working for you!

After graduating college, Deb Schwedhelm spent 10 years as a Registered Nurse in the Air Force. It wasn’t until she left the military that her career as a photographer began. In 2006, Deb decided to pursue her dream — she purchased a DSLR camera, began teaching herself photography and never looked back. Whether commissioned portrait sessions, commercial assignments or her ongoing personal projects, Deb always remains true to herself and her artistic vision. Deb is married to a U.S. Naval Officer and is the mother to three incredible children, who are often the subjects of her photographic work. She is currently based in Tampa, Florida. Her work can be viewed on her website, and her inspirational photoblog can be found here as well.

But no matter if I’m feeling “up to it” or not, there is never a question of WHY I shoot.  I never second-guess why I choose to photograph what means the most to me, and to my clients.

Sometimes I shoot purely for documentation…

…and other times, I get to witness a celebration.

Because there are (real) little moments when you just can’t help but snap the shutter…  ;)

…and because it’s important to remember best friends.

Often I shoot to mark a milestone…

…or to help an old wound heal.

But photography is never, ever, anything I regret.  It’s my path, my outlet.  My kids know that when I ask to photograph them, it’s how I express my love.  It’s my recognition, both public and private, that they are so very important to me.  It’s how I document, how I remember.  And it’s the way I tell the story of my family’s lives… my clients’ lives.

I’m very blessed and so thankful for this gift.  And I will continue to press the shutter until my gift is “all used up.”

Why do YOU shoot?  What compels you to pick up your camera?  Please share in the comments if you would.  We’d love to hear what’s on your heart.

And don’t forget that Sunday begins our annual Creative Photographer Series, lasting from July 17th through July 31.  Bookmark this blog, and come back every day to read interviews with amazing photographers and have the opportunity to win fabulous prizes each day from our favorite sponsors (and yours!).

Co-editor, Stacey Woods is an on-location, natural light lifestyle photographer for the Tampa Bay, FL area. Her favorite subjects are expecting mamas, the tiniest of babies, and children of all ages, and she prefers to photograph them in black and white, almost exclusively. Her online photo journal can be found at Stacey Woods Photography. Stacey’s own husband and children (a 7-year-old son, a 3-year-old daughter, and a baby girl growing in her tummy) are her greatest source of inspiration… and laughter!
To read all articles written by Stacey, click here.

Understanding light in photography is so important, powerful and…essential (when going beyond point and shoot photography)! The lighting in a scene can easily (and often will) make or break a photograph. It’s one of the basics in photography that requires knowledge, understanding, practice and…lots of patience, to learn.

There’s different kinds of light — available, artificial, soft, harsh, cool, warm, etc. There’s quality of light. There’s quantity of light. There’s different positioning of camera to the light source — backlit, front-lit, side-lit, etc. And it ALL factors into the making of a great photograph.

Let’s talk about a few common lighting positions:

Front-lighting
The light source is in front of your subject (behind the camera). This type of lighting results in an evenly lit, low contrast image.  If not careful, this type of lighting can look flat.

Side-lighting
The light source is to the side of your subject. Side-lighting often results in deep shadows and high contrast.

Back-lighting
The light source is behind your subject (in front of your camera). This is probably the toughest of lighting conditions to master (but the light I personally enjoy most). Back-lighting is the type of lighting used when creating silhouettes and flare.  With a lack of understanding, this type of lighting often results in an incorrect exposure.

Open shade
I want to talk a second about open shade.  Open shade can be your best friend on bright, sunny days, to avoid harsh light, unwanted shadows, squinting, etc. Open shade is simply an area of outdoor shade, caused by some object — a tree, a building, an overhang, shrubs, etc.
A few things to remember, when photographing in open shade:

• you can still get all of the above lighting positions, while shooting in open shade.
• be on the look-out for natural reflectors (a light colored wall, the sidewalk, the sand, etc.).
• be cautious of dabbled, spotty lighting, especially when in the shade of a tree or shrub.
• be cautious of going too deep into the shade and losing light.

If you don’t feel you have a good grasp of photographic light or you want to improve your understanding, I encourage you to get a book or find an online tutorial that explains photographic lighting. I also encourage you to practice, practice and then practice some more. Find a (cooperative) subject and take her to a location, where you can study the light on her face. Have the subject stand in one place and keep turning as you walk in a circle around her. Look at how the light changes as you and your subject’s position changes. Now take your subject to a different location and repeat the exercise. Look at where the light is coming from and why it’s changing.  Shoot throughout the exercise, looking at how the light looks on the subject and how that same light looks in the photograph.

Here are a few recent lighting examples, from when I was photographing two clients in Utah:

I was shooting this backlit maternity. The light was low (almost sunset).  The light (sun) was behind her, although slightly to the side.

50mm, f/2.0, 1/3200, ISO 320

Then I turned and and saw my other client, in the most beautiful front-lit end-of-day light.

50mm. f/2.0. 1/2500, ISO 320

Another example:

I knew that I wanted to do some rim type of lighting with my maternity client, something that would outline her most incredibly beautiful belly. We were in a warehouse and I was trying to find light that I thought might work. There was a large, dark room with one glass door and I saw this magical bit of light there. But once I got to it, I had to do lots of trial and error to get things right — to get her in the right place, to have her lit correctly and the brick wall (right behind her) to darken out as much as possible. Her positioning to the light was crucial because if she moved her face the wrong way, i would lose it completely.
lensbaby composer, double glass optic, 1/125, ISO 2000

Understanding light is not easy, but absolutely essential, when taking photography to the next level.  If you don’t have a great grasp on photographic light already, I hope that you’ll take the time to study and practice.  It’s AMAZING what light can (and will) do for you!!

Please note that I am an available light photographer and shoot in manual mode.

After graduating college, Deb Schwedhelm spent 10 years as a Registered Nurse in the Air Force. It wasn’t until she left the military that her career as a photographer began. In 2006, Deb decided to pursue her dream — she purchased a DSLR camera, began teaching herself photography and never looked back. Whether commissioned portrait sessions, commercial assignments or her ongoing personal projects, Deb always remains true to herself and her artistic vision. Deb is married to a U.S. Naval Officer and is the mother to three incredible children, who are often the subjects of her photographic work. She is currently based in Tampa, Florida. Her work can be viewed on her website, and her inspirational photoblog can be found here as well.

in two weeks, i fly to wisconsin to photograph a photographer friend (and family), whose husband was just diagnosed with lymphoma.  i can’t imagine NOT doing this for them.

it’s amazing how when you give and expect absolutely nothing in return, your heart is filled so greatly. i’ve photographed a number of families, who had a family member battling cancer, over the years.  these families have touched my heart and soul in an indescribable way. and i’d like to take a moment to remember max mikulak, sam hutchison and kirsten sandstrom, who so sadly and painfully lost their battle to cancer.

whatever your talent.
whatever your skill.
please find a way to give back.
you’ll never be sorry you did.

this is a most-wonderful giving story about a former professional chef in a five-star restaurant in india. he’s now feeding the homeless, mentally ill destitute and old people, who have been left…uncared for. but he not only takes care of their nutritional needs, he goes further…

click HERE to view video.

if you’re a photographer and interested in giving back but not sure where to start, here are a few organizations you can check out…
now i lay me down to sleep
pictures of hope
celebrating adoption
tiny sparrow foundation
help-portrait

and if you know of a giving organization you’d like to share, please share in the comment section.  it would be great to have a huge list of giving-back organizations in this post.

After graduating college, Deb Schwedhelm spent 10 years as a Registered Nurse in the Air Force. It wasn’t until she left the military that her career as a photographer began. In 2006, Deb decided to pursue her dream — she purchased a DSLR camera, began teaching herself photography and never looked back. Whether commissioned portrait sessions, commercial assignments or her ongoing personal projects, Deb always remains true to herself and her artistic vision. Deb is married to a U.S. Naval Officer and is the mother to three incredible children, who are often the subjects of her photographic work. She is currently based in Tampa, Florida. Her work can be viewed on her website, and her inspirational photoblog can be found here as well.

Some photographers ask, Why don’t my photos look like yours [insert action developer here] when I run your actions?

When we photograph, we are shooting with different cameras, in different light, with different settings, etc. – resulting in a different starting point for each photographer. This means that most of the time, you cannot just click the button, run an action and get the perfect result for your image. Additionally, certain actions might have been designed to run best on specific types of images – for example, landscape images with lots of bright blue sky or images with dramatic lighting.

The Power of Photoshop

I think it’s extremely important to have a good great understanding of Photoshop (adjustment layers, masks, layers, blend modes, etc.) prior to using and / or depending on actions to do the job. Actions can assist your workflow but they can also quickly become addicting and a crutch, if not careful.

Want to learn more about Photoshop?  You can find tons of information on the main Adobe website. And I personally love Scott Kelby’s Photoshop books. I strongly recommend that you learn about the power of Photoshop and all it has to offer before becoming dependent on actions for your editing.

I’ll be the first to  admit that I don’t know everything about Photoshop, as the learning is never done!!  But I have sat for many, many, MANY hours with Scott Kelby’s books, researching online, viewing forums and learning from peers.  And if there’s a specific task I don’t know how to perform, I will either look it up in Kelby’s book or Google it.  Oh, the power of the Internet!  :-)

Let’s first take a look at the Actions panel

A — Stop recording
B — Begin recording
C — Play action
D — Create new set
E — Create new action
F — Delete
G — Actions panel menu (contains action controls)

Know that recording or modifying an action is simple and powerful

If there’s a series of steps you do in Photoshop over and over again, you can always create your own action. To do this:

· Press the ‘Create new set’ button to create a new action set.  Give your set a name.  If you are placing your new action within an existing set, skip this step.

· Press the ‘Create new action’ button. Here, you will name your action, select the set where you want the action to go and create a function key shortcut and | or color label here, if desired.  For this example, I named my new action ‘brighten & pop’.  I want it within the existing set called ‘deb’s main actions’ and I want to be able to use function key F5, to quick-play this action.

· Press the record button and begin recording your steps. In the example, I did a couple of adjustment layers (curve and level) and then added a fill layer.

· When done, press the stop button (square) to stop recording.  You’ll notice that the record button is no longer red.

You can also modify existing actions by doing the same steps as above, but within an action (instead of as a new action) – for example, if there’s an action that you use a lot, but always reduce the opacity of a layer and add a curve layer, you can add those steps to the existing action.

· Go to the location within the action you wish to modify (I often just go to the end of the action and add new steps).
· Press the record button (circle) to begin recording.
· Perform the steps you wish to record, for this action.
· When done, press the stop button (square) to stop recording.

And if there’s certain steps within an action you wish weren’t there, simply drag them to the trash can.  However, remember that with some actions, certain steps depend on previous steps and layers being there.  If you wish to modify an action by deleting steps, I recommend copying the action first and then modify the copied version, to see if the action will still run properly with your changes.  To copy an action, go into the Actions panel menu and press ‘Duplicate’.

And now for examples

First let me preface this by saying that actions will always run best when you have a properly exposed image!!  Here’s an example of an image with an action run straight (a little bit much for my personal preference) and then the image with my modifications (action layer opacities adjusted, a couple hue/saturation layers and a curve layer).

Also, please remember that sometimes images only need the slightest adjustments.  For example, with the following image, the only thing I felt it really needed was a tweak in curves, a tad more saturation and a bit of warmth.  Voila! Done!  Again, don’t depend on actions to make your images great; get great images right out of camera (ROOC) and then simply enhance them a bit with your editing (actions or not).

Image ROOC…

The edited image…

My hope is that you’ll always keep learning, growing and playing…and know that it all takes time!!

Last but not least — lilyblue actions has been kind enough to offer a 10% discount to all ‘The Creative Mama’ readers.  Please use coupon code ‘creativemama’ upon checkout, to receive your 10% discount.  Offer expires July 15th.

After graduating college, Deb Schwedhelm spent 10 years as a Registered Nurse in the Air Force. It wasn’t until she left the military that her career as a photographer began. In 2006, Deb decided to pursue her dream — she purchased a DSLR camera, began teaching herself photography and never looked back. Whether commissioned portrait sessions, commercial assignments or her ongoing personal projects, Deb always remains true to herself and her artistic vision. Deb is married to a U.S. Naval Officer and is the mother to three incredible children, who are often the subjects of her photographic work. She is currently based in Tampa, Florida. Her work can be viewed on her website, and her inspirational photoblog can be found here as well.

Today, I want to share some words from someone who inspired and encouraged me from the very beginning.  But first let me share a bit of our story…

When I started photography, I never really felt that I fit in, especially within the photography forum I regularly visited and participated in. I was never a popular one; I would post something and if I was lucky, I would get one comment. I felt that my work was different and I just couldn’t grasp my head around everything…wondering why? Why didn’t anyone like my work? Was I on the right path?

And then, eight months after I began photography, I attended Cheryl Jacob Nicolai’s workshop and part of the workshop was a portfolio review. I was scared to death! I prefaced the review with, “I know my work is different than everyone else’s” and apologized. She reviewed my portfolio and shared with me that it was okay to be me.  That it was okay to be different. To just keep doing what I’m doing and not worry about anyone else.  She reassured me that MY path was the right track. And…that’s exactly what I did. Here I am, five years later, proud to be different (not only photography, but life in general).

Words Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know

Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a consensus.

Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

You cannot specialize in everything.

Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it.

Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself.

Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacence.

– Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai

I hope that you love Cheryl’s words as much as I do.  And always remember to embrace your differences; it’s what makes you you and your photography special.

After graduating college, Deb Schwedhelm spent 10 years as a Registered Nurse in the Air Force. It wasn’t until she left the military that her career as a photographer began. In 2006, Deb decided to pursue her dream — she purchased a DSLR camera, began teaching herself photography and never looked back. Whether commissioned portrait sessions, commercial assignments or her ongoing personal projects, Deb always remains true to herself and her artistic vision. Deb is married to a U.S. Naval Officer and is the mother to three incredible children, who are often the subjects of her photographic work. She is currently based in Tampa, Florida. Her work can be viewed on her website, and her inspirational photoblog can be found here as well.

I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself as knowing everything about photography… and I don’t believe that’s really the point of it all anyway, is it?  But knowledge is power, and the more I understand about photography, the better my skills can be when I am creating my images and presenting my work to clients.

In teaching, for example, there is certainly a requirement of continuing education after you receive your degree and accept a teaching position.  This education might take place at the school where you now teach, or off-campus.  Other careers also have this standard of continuing education as well.

In the photography world (and especially child and family photography), we are fortunate to be surrounded by many talented individuals who are willing to share their knowledge with us.  For instance, I just returned from The Swell Retreat in Santa Rosa Beach this past weekend.  The entire experience was amazing, from the lush surroundings in which we learned, to the laughter and the friendships made, to the invaluable information that was shared between all of the attendees.  I’ve attended several other fantastic workshops in the past, and I can honestly say that I’ve learned volumes from every single one.  Not to mention, I was lucky enough to make connections with other like-minded photographers, and have made lifelong friends with those people in the process.  You can never have too many people in your corner, I say!

If you aren’t happy with your progress or your skills in photography, I would encourage you to take a look around you.  There are many, many opportunities for further education if you only seek them out.  Take a local class, join a forum, participate in a photo challenge (ahem!), sign up for an online course, read a book (or twelve), take a workshop or join a local photography group.

In the end, it is up to you to ensure that your craft is always the best it can be.

Stacey Woods

Co-editor, Stacey Woods is an on-location, natural light lifestyle photographer for the Tampa Bay, FL area. Her favorite subjects are expecting mamas, the tiniest of babies, and children of all ages, and she prefers to photograph them in black and white, almost exclusively. Her online photo journal can be found at Stacey Woods Photography. Stacey’s own husband and children (a 6-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter) are her greatest source of inspiration… and laughter!